Navigating the NMW

How to not get lost at an exhibition hall that features more than 1,000 exhibitors, 300 conference sessions, and 400 expert speakers who are eager to tell you their proven real-world solutions? The answer is obvious--Plan ahead.

Design News gives you a quick roundup of what to expect and what not to miss at the 2005 National Manufacturing Week, to be kicked off on March 7 at the Chicago McCormick Place. Don’t forget to also check out www.manufacturingweek.com, where you can use the Conference Search Engine to look for special events.

Also, for the first time, Design News’ overseas editors from China and Japan will attend the four-day event, providing a face-to-face and first-hand opportunity to share their experience in the Asia market as well as their insights on how it’ll further impact U.S. manufacturers and engineers. Stay tuned for how you can pick their brain via the Internet if you cannot attend the National Manufacturing Week.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.